Plans for a new Belmont Avenue headquarters for Radio Bilingue were announced in September 2024, with the project anticipated to cost about $10 million. Image contributed

Fresno-based Radio Bilingüe Latino Public Radio announced Tuesday an expansion of its service to four new markets — Williams, California; Merrill, Oregon; Sierra Blanca, Texas; and Columbus, New Mexico.

The radio network broadcasts “culturally responsive, multilingual public radio” to underserved communities, helping to bridge news and information gaps for Latino and indigenous farmworker populations, according to a news release.

It was founded by Hugo Morales in 1976.

The new stations bring Radio Bilingüe’s non-commercial radio network to a total of 29 owned-and-operated stations, offering critical Emergency Alert System capabilities and other important services to many regions defined by FEMA as facing high social vulnerability. Topics addressed in the programming include health, immigration, employment and education.

The new stations are:

KWMS 91.3 FM, Williams, California: Serving the northern Sacramento Valley, this station now provides programming to Spanish-speaking migrant communities in rural areas including Williams, Orland, Colusa, Delevan, Norman, Willows and Greenwood where many lack essential services such as broadband and health care.

KTLU 91.7 FM, Merrill, Oregon: Now covering Tulelake and nearby areas in northern California and southern Oregon, this station will serve a growing population of Spanish-speaking farm laborers. KTLU’s call letters honor the painful history of the Tule Lake concentration camp built to imprison Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast during World War II.

KNOO 88.1 FM, Sierra Blanca, Texas: Now serving the Sierra Blanca community near El Paso, Texas, with 24/7 programming, KNOO is also targeting future partnerships with students and staff of the Sierra Blanca Independent School District.

KDUO-FM 91.3, Columbus, New Mexico: As one of the only Spanish-language broadcasters in the area, KDUO serves a 91% Latino population, including a significant number living below the poverty line.

Radio Bilingüe is also making plans to grow at home in Fresno, with a building donation announced last year from Producers Dairy that serve as the station’s new headquarters.